Improvement in percussion-pellets for fire-arms



J. RUPERTUS.

Primer for Fire-Arms. 7 No. 25,142 Patented Aug. 16, 1859.

' K f'El'ERE, PHOTO-UTHOGRAPHER. WASNINGTON. D. Cv

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J AOOB RUPERTUS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN PERCUSSlON-PELLETS FOR FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 25,142, dated August 16, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB RUPERTUs, of the city ofPhiladelphia, in the county ot'Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Percussion-Pellets for Fire-Arms; and I do here by declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is an outside view, natural size, of my improved pellet. Fig. 2 is a similar view larger than the natural size. Fig. 3 is a section of the capsule beforeitis charged, eXhib-- iting one mode of making it. Fig. 4'is a section of the same partially closed and charged. Fig 5 is a section of the same closed. Fig.6 is a perspective View of an open capsule of another construction. Fig. 7 is a section of the same in the same condition. Fig. 8 is a section of the same partly filled and closed. Fig. 9 is a section of the same closed.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

My improvement consists in the employment to inclose the detonating compound of a spherical metal capsule. This kind of capsule affords the same protection to the detonatingcompound asthe closed cylindrical shell, and possesses the advantage of never failing to be presented to the ventin a proper manner, as is so often the ease with the cylindrical pellet, owing to its liability to beturned sidewise within the priming-magazine.

To enable others to make my percussionpellets I will proceed to describe them, with reference to the drawings.

In the construction represented in Figs. 3, 4, and 5 the capsule is made by first cutting and stamping from a piece of sheet-copper or other ductile metal or alloy a blank with two hemispherical depressions, a. a, as shown in Fig. 3, having a very narrow connection at b, and two narrow lips c c at the most distant points in their margin. This blank'is afterward bent at the connection I) ofthe hemispheres to about the condition shown'in Fig. 4,

made of a perfect, or nearly perfect, spherical form externally.

In the construction represented in Figs. 6, 7, and 8 the capsule is made by first cutting and stamping a star-shaped blank with a central hemispherical depression, (I, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. This blank, after having its rays 6 e bent up to the condition shown in Fig. 8, has the detonating compound put in, and the rays, which are of such form as.to combine to form a hemisphere, are then closed together and the capsule then subjected to the same rolling process as that first described to make perfectjoints between the rays.

I do not confine myself to these modes of forming the capsules, forsuch other modes may be adopted as might suggest themselves to skillful workers in metal.

The detonating compound employed in these pellets may be compounded by any of the formulze commonly adopted for percussion primings.

I do not claim the invention 'of spherical pellets for the priming of fire-arms when not incased in a metallic capsule. Neither do I claim the detonating compound in a metallic shell when such shell is notof spherical form; but- What I claim as my invention, and desire to 'secure by Letters Patent, is

Theemployment, forinclosing the detonating compound, of a metal saupsle of spherical form, substantially as herein described.

J AOOB RUPEBTUS.

Witnesses:

OHARLEs D. FREEMAN, WILLIAM H. DINGLER.

The capsule, after being thus 

